Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made a strong statement, reiterating that Ukraine will not accept any peace talks regarding the ongoing war with Russia if the country is excluded from the negotiations. In a firm declaration on Monday, Zelenskyy emphasized that his government views any discussions about Ukraine’s future without its direct involvement as null and void. “Ukraine regards any negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine as ones that have no result, and we cannot recognise any agreements about us without us,” he said.
The remarks come as high-level officials from both Russia and the United States are set to begin peace talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday. These discussions, led by U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, aim to address the nearly three-year-long war between Moscow and Ukraine, but Ukraine and its European allies have been notably excluded from the table. Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine had no prior knowledge of the talks, reaffirming that Kyiv would not be participating.
The peace talks come in the wake of a phone call between Trump and Putin last week, during which the two leaders discussed launching negotiations to end the conflict. This marks the first in-person talks between the U.S. and Russia in years, following a significant decline in relations after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Both delegations in Riyadh represent the highest levels of their respective governments. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with other key figures such as Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and national security adviser Mike Waltz, have already arrived in Saudi Arabia. On Russia’s side, senior foreign policy officials, including Yuri Ushakov and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, are attending the critical meetings.
Russian officials, including Lavrov, have made it clear that Moscow has no intention of making territorial concessions to Ukraine as part of any peace agreement. The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said the talks would focus on preparing for potential negotiations between the two presidents, with the ultimate goal of reaching a settlement on the conflict. However, the exclusion of Ukraine from these discussions continues to be a point of contention.
As the diplomatic landscape shifts, the world watches closely to see how this high-stakes negotiation will unfold, but Ukraine’s resolute position ensures that peace may not come easily without the active participation of all parties involved.